Sasanoyuki

Rating: Excellent
Meal:  Lunch for 3
Price:  7150 yen
Payment:  Credit cards accepted
Dishes: Two 9 item courses, a la carte cold tofu, yakitori and rice
English Menu: Yes

Smoking: No (maybe somewhere)

We were out as a family on Saturday all the way up in Ueno, which is pretty close to downtown Tokyo.  We were checking out the Chinese Terracotta Soldier exhibit at the Tokyo National Museum and got finished around lunch time.  I pulled out my phone and looked up bento.com, a great site that includes a feature to show restaurants nearby using GPS.  The first item on the list was Sasanoyuki, a tofu specialty restaurant that was about 10 minutes walk away.  So off we went!

It's probably hard to find parking nearby, so I'd recommend taking trains and walking.  They are in an older building with tatami mats, and you have to take your shoes off at the door.  Luckily, they are prepared for gaijin, and we were seated in what we jokingly called the "tourist room," as there were tatami friendly tables and chairs (thank goodness, we hate sitting on tatami for long) and a Chinese couple were already seated ahead of us.  We heard loud laughter and talking in Japanese coming from  through the sliding doors, so I suspect most Japanese probably just sit on the tatami at low tables for their meals.

Bento.com said the lunch specials started at 2000 yen, but that must have been a while back.  Now they start at 2200 yen, and that's during the weekdays.  It was a Saturday, so we had to go for the 2800 yen 9 item course.  For my son, we ordered him a couple of a la carte items and he was happy with his block of cold tofu, two yakitori sticks and some rice.  Sometimes it's good to remember that he'll happily eat some things that other kids would turn their noses up at.  Helps us not get as mad when he refuses to eat things like potatoes.

Our courses were amazing, and it's really hard to describe how full you get eating just tofu products, but sure enough, by the end of it we were really full.  I'll just leave the pictures here:

Cold tofu block, tofu spread with dipping items

My son's yakitori

Tofu in broth with mustard dollops

Tofu mixed with arrowroot with sesame sauce (my wife's favorite!)

Deep fried tofu cubes

Oyster and shiitake meatball in tofu milk sauce with veg

Soy pulp (okara) and rice with broth

Soy ice cream with plum sauce (really good)